‘Cinderella Kids’ a show families can enjoy together

Saturday

Feb 9, 2013 at 12:00 PM

By Arlene BachanovDaily Telegram Special Writer

Before Friday’s opening-night performance of “Cinderella Kids” at the Croswell Opera House, a little girl seated near the front was getting an explanation of what was going to happen when the show started and what the orchestra pit was for, or at least would be if there was a live orchestra for this show. And every time someone up onstage bumped into the closed curtain from behind it, she could barely contain her excitement. “I saw the curtain move!” she said several times.

This sort of thing is the true value of a show like “Cinderella Kids”: to give children what might be their first taste of live theater, whether it’s as an audience member like that little girl, or from up onstage like any number of the kids in the cast.

It’s certainly a kid-friendly show: There’s a simple script clearly written to be understood by the younger set, plenty of activity and color and fun costumes to hold a child’s attention, and it lasts only about an hour with intermission. And in its 45 minutes or so of actual storytelling, it manages to capture the whole of the Cinderella fairy tale pretty well.

The title role is played by Mallory Erwin, who does a fine job of filling Cinderella’s glass slippers and playing the role with great charm and warmth. And her Prince Charming, Matthew Pettrey, makes a nice match for her. In a fun bit of casting, four different Pettreys are onstage, with dad Rob Pettrey doing a nice turn as the King, Rosella as one of the Narrators, and Ethan as one of the Town Criers.

A thoroughly enjoyable performance comes from Michelle Force as the Fairy Godmother, while every time Kayla Henry and Sarah Garofalo are onstage in their over-the-top performances as the Stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia, something funny happens, and when Joyce Lancaster as the Stepmother gets into the act too, it’s even better.

The Stepmother and Stepsisters aren’t the only sources of broad humor in this show, either. Anthony Isom hams it up perfectly as the Duke, while Noah Beasley has an impeccable sense of comedy in the role of the Herald. And watching the various children who play the Mice in action is a lot of fun.

With this cast, even the littlest ones seem to be quite at home up there onstage, and they definitely play their parts with spirit. The same is true of all the kids who are Villagers, Town Criers and all sorts of other characters. And the three Narrators — Arielle Richardson, Gabrielle Kisor and Rosella Pettrey — make excellent tellers of the tale.

Director John MacNaughton has allowed his cast to put some of their own spin on their characters, and it shows because some of the fun of the show is in watching what the kids do with their parts. He has also made a show that involves a lot of children doing a lot of things move along relatively smoothly, which is no small feat.

As has been the case with other similar shows at the Croswell geared toward young people, this production uses prerecorded music, which is easier for kids to work with but lends a little bit of artificiality to the sound. At the same time, it leads to the obvious challenges of getting the timing right, which on opening night actually came off pretty smoothly all things considered.

Where the onstage look is concerned, everything looks great. Emily Gifford does a superb job of costuming all these characters in everything from mouse costumes to ball gowns, while Leo Babcock’s scenic design combines a striking village-scene backdrop with set pieces and props that all together look, appropriately, like something that came out of the pages of a children’s fairy tale. And choreographer Ashley Nowak does a terrific job of giving all the youngsters in the cast dance steps they can do well.

No doubt about it, this is a show geared pretty much toward the younger set, and to provide a simple theatrical experience kids, parents and grandparents can all enjoy together. But for what it is — a cute, kid-oriented telling of a classic children’s story — “Cinderella Kids” more than fits the bill. And if more youngsters like that little girl in the second row come see the show and experience what live theater is all about for the very first time, then so much the better.